Martin Operating Partners Crude Oil Pipeline Spill

The responsible party for the spill secured additional response teams and recovered approximately 1,600 barrels of an oil-water mixture from Holmes and Smackover Creeks.  Approximately 300 barrels of crude oil was separated from the oil-water mixture at the Martin Operating Partnership L.P. facility in Smackover, Arkansas.

The responsible party for the spill recovered approximately 351 barrels of an oil-water mixture from Holmes and Smackover Creeks. Approximately 113 barrels of crude oil was separated from the oil-water mix.

Response personnel and specialized equipment continued arriving at the site to aid in cleanup efforts, and approximately 465 barrels of an oil-water mixture, with 126 barrels of crude oil separated, was removed from Holmes and Smackover Creeks.

The Holmes Creek Unified Command, consisting of the EPA, the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and the responsible party, was established to direct, manage, and control the response actions. Response personnel continued arriving at the site to aid in cleanup efforts, and approximately 507 barrels of an oil-water mixture, with 212 barrels of crude oil separated, was removed from Holmes and Smackover Creeks.

EPA and state partners continued to oversee cleanup efforts throughout Holmes and Smackover Creeks. The responsible party reported approximately 350 barrels of an oil-water mixture, with 350 barrels of crude oil separated, was removed from the creeks.

The responsible party continues to bring in resources, equipment, and personnel to expedite the recovery of oil from Holmes and Smackover Creeks. Approximately 401 barrels of an oil-water mixture were recovered from the creeks. The oil-water mixture is separated to give a better estimation of the actual amount of crude oil recovered. Approximately 75 barrels of crude oil were recovered.

EPA and state partners sustained their oversight of the cleanup operations. The day’s report from the responsible party indicated they recovered nearly 35 barrels of an oil-water mixture from the creeks.

Progress in the oil spill response of Holmes and Smackover Creeks is ongoing. The latest efforts have extracted approximately 397 barrels of an oil-water mixture from the affected waterways. This recent operation has reclaimed approximately 80 barrels of pure crude oil. Moreover, the meticulous cleanup has also led to the removal of roughly 50 cubic yards of contaminated solids from within the creeks.

EPA, alongside state partners, maintained oversight of response activities at Holmes and Smackover Creeks. The responsible party removed an additional estimated 318 barrels of an oil-water mixture from the creeks. The separation process has yielded an additional 70 barrels of crude oil. In addition, the operation has extracted about 60 cubic yards of oil-impacted solid materials from the creeks, furthering the progress of the environmental restoration efforts.

A total of 350 barrels of oil-water mixture was successfully recovered. The Responsible Party has revised the estimated volume of the crude oil release from 2,000 barrels to 2,500 barrels. As for solid waste, the removal efforts have yielded approximately 110 cubic yards thus far. The response team remains actively engaged, with 266 personnel deployed in the field and an additional 36 staff members overseeing operations in command and general staff roles.

Approximately 140 barrels of oil-water mixture was recovered, with a refined count of 1,326 barrels of crude oil successfully separated. Removal of solid waste continued, with an approximate 150 cubic yards removed. A key operational detail was rectified; the pipeline involved was confirmed to be an 8-inch line, not 6 inches as previously reported.

The response team continued their progress in environmental restoration efforts. An additional 130 barrels of oil-water mixture was removed from the creeks. This marks a steady increase in the recovery rate, reflecting the efficiency of on-site operations.  Unified Command reached a consensus to discontinue community air monitoring, following consecutive days without detections surpassing the thresholds of air monitoring equipment. As the operation continues, the cumulative amount of crude oil recovered remains at 1,326 barrels, with no additional crude oil reported on this date.

Response activities by the responsible party continued at the site, focusing on oily debris and absorbent material removal activities. The response team has removed an additional 203 barrels of oil-water mixture. The cumulative amount of crude oil recovered remains at 1,326 barrels, and there were no reports of additional crude oil on this date. A total of 225 cubic yards of oily debris have been collected to date.

Efforts to remove oil from Holmes and Smackover Creeks have continued. There were no reports of additional crude oil recovered on this date. Additional ongoing efforts include the construction of a berm surrounding the initial location of the oil spill, and the diversion of the spring water to keep the natural flow of the unnamed tributary. These efforts are in preparation to excavate and close off the transfer pipeline. Vacuum trucks are still being used along the affected areas. A total of 300 cubic yards of oily debris have been recovered to date.

Response activities continued over this period and consisted of flushing free-standing oil into collection areas and using vacuum trucks and boom to remove the substances from the creeks. A total of 25 barrels of oil-water mixture were recovered, and there are no reports of additional crude oil over this period. A total of 450 cubic yards of oily debris and 138 cubic yards of oil impacted soils have been recovered to date. The leaking pipeline was excavated, and the pipe was cut and plugged on both sides. It has been determined that the cause of the spill from the transfer pipeline was due to corrosion related issues. The wildlife team captured, cleaned, and released 16 animals into the Ouachita River, including turtles, non-venomous snakes, and a toad.

The emergency response phase of Holmes Creek and Smackover Creek has been completed and has transitioned from EPA to ADEQ for maintenance and oversight. Response operations continue in an unnamed tributary that connects the spill origin to Holmes Creek. These activities consist of removing oil-impacted vegetation and flushing free-standing oil into collection areas where it is collected by absorbent pads and vacuum trucks. A total of 600 cubic yards of oily debris has been collected to date and there were no additional crude oil, oil-water mixture, or oil-impacted soil reported during this period. A storm contingency plan was put into place to address potential impacts from Hurricane Beryl. Crews worked meticulously to add and secure additional boom and reinforce underflow dams to prevent oil from escaping their collection areas. The wildlife team captured, cleaned, and released 30 animals into the Ouachita River on July 04 and July 08, 2024, including red eared sliders, a spiny softshell turtle, common snapping turtles, and a plain bellied water snake.

Response operations continued within an unnamed tributary that connects to Holmes Creek. The response actions consisted of removing oil-impacted vegetation and flushing free-standing oil into collection areas where it is collected by absorbent pads, oil absorbent pom poms, and vacuum trucks. The recovered amount of oil-water mixture increased to 5,401 barrels. The total amount of crude oil recovered remains unchanged at 1,326 barrels. The collection of oily solids progressed, resulting in 900 cubic yards of oily debris recovered from the affected creeks and 200 cubic yards of oil impacted soil. On July 15, the Holmes Creek Unified Command completed its emergency response activities at the Martin Operating Partnership L.P. Crude Oil Pipeline Spill. Because there are no longer any appreciable amounts of product from the spill within the unnamed tributary, Holmes Creek, and Smackover Creek, EPA and the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) now consider the response ready for transition to maintenance. ADEQ will continue to monitor the operations during the maintenance phase of the response, while EPA demobilized on July 16, 2024.